Garden Party

When my first book released about five years ago (Chocolate Beach), one of my college-aged readers thanked me for writing a character that didn't garden. LOL That cracked me up then, and has stayed with me. There's something so cliche about a heroine who gardens, apparently.

But what about a writer?

When my kids were little and I wrote magazine articles while also trying to sell a novel, I turned to tilling the soil for an outlet. Hubby borrowed the neighbor's truck and bought a load of mushroom compost for 5 bucks, enough to make our huge backyard one fertile place for veggies on one end and an English garden on the other. Loved it. I remember thinking that I should give up writing and go work for the local garden center instead.

But then we moved closer to the beach where the soil is sandy, the weather is foggy, and my writing career became full time. In other words, little time for gardening. Until recently...when I've managed to make some.

A couple of months ago we put the broken down trampoline on craigslist and gave it away to an artist who wanted to weld it into something amazing. Or weird. I'm not sure which. The grass beneath it was dead, so hubby and I took turns tearing out more of the lawn and I sketched out plans for a lawn-less backyard garden. I have plans for an undulating crushed-stone path, a birdbath, sitting area, and lots and lots of perennials.

Truthfully, we've still got about 1/3 of a lawn in there, but the fountain's back in use, we've pulled out some unhappy plants, and cleaned up some others. Still a long way to go, but by springtime, this writer girl's going to get her garden back.

Just don't expect me to write a book about it ... ;)

Sea Beauty

This mermaid was placed in memory of our friend, Andrea, who passed away from cancer. It's gorgeous. (The photo doesn't do it justice, trust me. I'll try for a better shot next time.) I heard that her father acquired the statue from a local collector who'd bought it in Russia. It welcomes ships into the harbor from the overlook at Marina Park.

Andrea was a world traveler who loved the sea, so I think it's fitting to honor her in this way. I love the way it always makes me think of her, and her fun ways. She loved God, her family, and her friends ... and never missed an opportunity to make fun of my grungy flip flops when we ran into each other on the beach after church :)

To friends we hold dear ~ and who share our passions! Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are.

Help me feed my family

So the other day I decided to throw culinary caution to the wind and make a recipe I saw in a magazine. The photos looked so yummy and my husband loves capers so I made the crab sliders...and almost everyone in the house hated them. For his part, hubby put on a brave face and ate seconds (says he liked them, but he loves me and wants me to keep cooking so it's suspect ...). My daughter's friend Eva gave me a sad little smile and said, "You tried."

Ouch.

Thankfully, I had some backup pizza in the freezer (I always have backup pizza in the freezer ...) So all was not lost.

Here's where I need your help. Recipes. I need beachy seafood recipes that a cook with two left thumbs (that would be me) could make and that her sea-loving family would love. Any ideas? Send them to me via the contact page of my website or a FB message. If I pick yours (and the fam actually finishes the meal) ~ I'd be happy to send you my two current Otter Bay releases: Sweet Waters & A Shore Thing.

Ready? Set? GO!

Oh the places we go ...

I learned today that Fade to Blue is being typeset as we speak! If you read A Shore Thing, I want you to know that my next novel tells the story of Suz, Gage's sister in Shore. I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about it :-)

My books aren't only about the summer. I'm thinking of creating a bumper sticker similar to that fishing one ... A bad day at the beach is better than a good day at work! LOL Yesterday I walked Charlie the Dog in the cold drizzle, but today the sun's shining again. I'll take the sea in whatever season I can get it. It's fall, but I just sold another beach sign to someone in the mid-west. A kindred spirit, for sure!

Pretty soon I'll be heading north to do some research for a new story. The area I'll be visiting is known for its coastal fog and monster swells. Can't wait (and yes, I'll be bringing a jacket!)

Question for you: We all live in different areas: country, city, coast, mountains, desert, etc. Where do you go for a breather that's not too far from home?

We're living in a Justin Bieber world ...

So my youngest daughter turned 12 last week ~ at camp. Last year she was away, too. Sigh. I sent a "party in a box" both years but still! Mama needs to give her kid a hug. Just sayin' :) So when she got home, I couldn't wait to give her the rest of her gifts, which included a baseball cap. Not just any old baseball cap, but a NY Yankees cap ~ the same kind that Justin Bieber aka "JB" wears.

Oh the squealing, the joy, the covering of one's beautiful brunette hair 24/7! We also gave her a couple of JB's CDs ~ and listened to them on the way to and from a soccer game out in the desert yesterday.

Some moms judge me, but whatev! At her age, I was in *love* with Donny Osmond. Practically had my bags packed, intent on moving to Utah when my parents weren't looking. I had purple socks, and a room covered in Donny pictures torn out of Tiger Beat and the like. My family would tell you that I was obsessed, but I turned out okay.

Right? (Right?!)

3 Birthdays in a Row. Groovy.

Yesterday was my youngest's birthday ~ only she's been at camp all week and I didn't get to hug her. Fortunately I rec'd a call (apparently the line at the payphone was extraordinarily long...thanks camp hosts. Not.). First one of the week! I get to see her today, so ya-hoo :)

Today's my son's 19th birthday! Pretty tough to fathom. Nineteen years ago I thought I had another couple of weeks to get ready. I worked my last day at the Y, came home with visions of prepping for baby when ~ voila! ~ my water broke and there he was. Hadn't even washed one baby tee-shirt yet! He's off at college and it just so happens that tonight is GYRAD. Translation: Get Your Roommate A Date. I want to keep my hopes up for him, I really do, but those roommates of his are CRAZY. Good luck tonight, kiddo :)

Tomorrow is that man o' mine's birthday. Yes, that's right: 3 birthdays in a row. Every. Year. Still have to think up something amazing so my hunk o' burning love doesn't get lost in the shuffle. Might just have to whisk Mr. Right-On away from it all ... :)

Have a beachy weekend, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Hee-hee ... almost done

So my editor and I keep trading these fun emails about my next book, which I'm so excited about by the way. See, we're in the final stretch of getting this baby out of the bathtub and into something sweet smelling like typeset pages and a cover. Not the final, final, but the advanced reader copy (aka ARC). This is the book that's sent off to reviewers everywhere along with a lot of prayer that they'll LOVE it and say so in time for the book's release next May.

So the other day, one of her comments in the margin used the phrase "for charity's sake." As in, "For charity's sake, why don't you do this?" LOL I made the change she suggested, laughing all the way. As it turned out, she didn't mean it the way I read it and left my original verbiage intact.

See why it's so good to have a sense of humor, people? Writers have the worst self-esteem at times (take it from one who knows), but sometimes we just have to shrug our shoulders and laugh. And then hope that somebody out there somewhere laughs back.

p.s. Happy Birthday to my sweet pre-teen daughter! Age twelve today!

train daze

Taking a little excursion today to celebrate my mom's birthday. She's loved trains forever ~ my grandfather worked for the railroad ~ so we're hopping aboard for some scenery and treasure hunting. We took a longer excursion for a milestone birthday last year...read that here. This will be a quicker trip, but lotsa fun too!

Here's to hoping my editor's not reading that I'm playing hooky today ...;-) Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Take a hike

So I had this crazy idea that life would slow a bit after I returned from Indy. That I'd sit out by the beach and watch the waves crash while thinking up fresh ideas to write about. Ha ha ha ... not. Anyone else do that? You think "After so and so, I'll have time to do so and so..."?

Sigh!

The good news is that I'm busy with good stuff (except for the laundry. That's bad. Very bad!) Writing and editing and working with the super cool 8th grade girls at youth group. I'm making plans with friends for coffees and lunches, and today I even managed to get to the BEACH with Charlie the Dog (woot!). And, yes, the stirrings of a new story idea piqued my interest as we walked along on this sunny day.

The moral of the story: get out of the office! Even if just for a bit. Never know what fresh new ideas will come your way. Know what I mean?

ACFW conference thoughts (part 2)

I took a class at ACFW called Six Stage Plot Structure. Loved it. Michael Hauge taught it, and although the class is meant for screenplays, the points he made work in the book world too (with some tweaks). I love the idea of creating a story with cinematic quality ~ probably because I'm such a visual thinker. How about you? When you're reading a book, is your mind watching the film? Do you 'see' the characters walking, talking, tripping, smooching (for all you romance readers ;-)? Michael used Shrek, Hitch, & Lars and the Real Girl to demonstrate his points. So, yeah, the classroom with all the laughter coming from it ... that was ours ;)

Also took a class from Jenny B. Jones on writing humor in fiction. Good stuff in there. (And she won not one, but two Carol Awards during the banquet!!!) Jenny pointed out that humor isn't just the slapstick kind in comedies. It's also used to diffuse dark moments in drama. Case in point: Steel Magnolias. I've got a love/hate relationship with that movie. So painful to watch. But the clip Jenny showed was spot on. Sally Field is railing and weeping over the death of her daughter, and just when you feel like your heart can't handle another word, one of the other characters steps in with desperate humor, a startling moment that diffuses one of the darkest scenes of the movie. Excellent class.

The photo is of Jim "Rooms" Rubart and me at the ACFW banquet. (That's CS Lakin looking thoughtful and scholarly in the background ...;) Jim's a B&H author too, and I enjoyed getting to know him better. We talked about our kids, writing, and the wisdom of ordering fish at a restaurant in a landlocked state. Lol

I arrived home and haven't stopped once. In addition to all the fun stuff of mothering (taxi driving, lunch making, homework shepherding, yada yada), I've been tearing through the edits of my next book with my editor, Julee Schwarzburg. On a tight deadline, so we're working fast! Hope to write more soon!

Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are!

ACFW conference thoughts (part 1)

Just returned home from the ACFW conference in Indianapolis. Whew! Whirlwind, for sure. Three days, non-stop classes, appointments, meeting people I've only known via FB or Twitter, Divine appointments, snippets conversations in the elevators...it goes on and on. Sweet Waters was a finalist for the Carol Award. Didn't win, but such a huge honor to final in the contest. Rene Gutteridge & Cheryl McKay won for Never the Bride ~ kudos to them. I've never read Cheryl before, but Rene's one of my faves :) This photo is of B&H Author Pam Ewen and me at the Awards Night Banquet. Think Emmy Awards for writers. Everybody dolled it up and was on best behavior :)

The night before Julie Gwinn of B&H (my publisher) hosted a delish dinner at Harry & Izzy's in Indianapolis. Burned our mouths on their spicy, TV-worthy shrimp cocktail. No, really ... we were told it was featured on the Food Network's, Best Thing I Ever Ate. Forget sinus medication ... this thing was chock-full of enough horseradish to cure whatever you've got.

So many highlights and so much fatigue (11 hours of travel each way). I plan to write more in the days ahead. If you're interested, come on back. I hope you will! Until then ...

I'll be heading to Indianapolis in the morning to hang out with a bunch of crazy amazing writers for one long weekend at the ACFW conference. I'll try to post photos here and there as I can. Have phone will shoot pictures! :)

Also wanted to make sure you knew about Blogmania going on over at readingatthebeach.com through tomorrow only. Lots and lots of fun prizes in two categories: Beach Reads and Life's a Beach. Included in the prize round up is A Shore Thing and a sign from julie's beach shop. Stop on by, leave a comment, and you might win something fabulous. Tell Vicki I sent you :)

The Enchanted Hill

Turned in the edits of my next book, Fade to Blue, then supervised pre-teen girl as she finished up a monster science project. Phew! Next I turn to packing for my trip to Indy on Thursday. So many details ~ no idea how/if it'll all get done, so if you happen to see me at the ACFW conference wearing mismatched shoes...don't ask.

Anyway, hubby took this photo last time we toured the Hearst Castle. My next book is about a gal who restores art for the castle, so naturally, I had to pay La Cuesta Encantada (The Enchanted Hill) a visit. It rained that day, hence the old hat :-) We didn't care. The surrounding area is pristine, people, pristine! After sifting through the manuscript, and reading about tidepools teaming with glowing anemones, and art-filled rooms, and casual dinners at the Red Abalone Grill, the local (but fictional :) hangout, I can't wait to head up north to "Otter Bay" for a respite of my own.

Here's to enchanted getaways ... !

Friendship, friendship ...

Did a mini-tour of Borders stores last Saturday with writing pal, Kathryn 'Katie' Cushman. Signed books, ate hamburgers, and yakked for several hours. We're both up for the ACFW Carol Award next Sunday ~ and in the same category. "That's why we're not talking," she quipped during our Q&A time at Borders Goleta. Lol.

Not a chance. Love her and her books. I'll be in Indianapolis for the banquet, and sadly, she won't. But if she wins, I'll do a little dance in her honor (if my feet don't have blisters after a busy, 3-day conference that is :)

It's Monday and the edits of my next book are due ... today! And my daughter's daunting 7th grade 'leaf project' is due in the morning. Sigh. Gonna be a long day ... have a beachy week, my friends (wherever you are :)

Visiting a friend today

I'm over at Sherry's Blog today. Come by for a brief interview and you'll learn a bit about the inspiration behind A Shore Thing. I met Sherry Kyle (that's her in the photo) at the Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference. Not only is she a writer, but she's a sweetheart too ~ and a former Biola Betty. LOL ... apparently that's a term of endearment for the female students at Biola (my son's school). Sherry met her Biola Bob in college...and the rest is history.

Hmm... wonder if they still call the students that? I'll have to ask my kiddo. Gives me an excuse to call, you know? ... :-)

Cruizin' the beach

Saw another cool beach buggy down at the, well, at the beach yesterday. Pretty, huh? You can read my previous posts about beach ride obsessions here and here.

Hubby was with me at the time. Whenever I yarn on about beachy rides, he just nods and utters a contemplative, "Hmmm...." Like the other day when a guy in a VW Thing drove by and I swooned a little. So anyway, our youngest can't understand the obsession. She was with us when we walked by this red Country Squire and I just had to have a photo.

"I'd die if you ever picked me up from school in that thing, Mom. I'd die!"

"Not only would I," I told her. "But I'd strap a surfboard up top before heading out to your school!"

I might have even said 'pink' surfboard. LOL

emails that go bump in the night ...

Just keeps getting eerier ... So last week I told you that the hero of another writer's novel called my house. If you missed that post, you can read it here.

Then last Friday evening, I opened up my email and received this (in part):

I'm just curious where you got the inspiration for your Gage Mitchell character because it keeps coming up in my Google Alerts and he sounds a lot like me actually... from what I've read. Strange coincidence, I know.

My name is Gage Mitchell and I own a small sustainable design studio. I think your character is an architect, but I'm a graphic designer. Both creative design fields, both eco-professionals, both with a cool name. ;)

Omg!

After 'tweeting' about this latest email from 'a character' of a book ~ my book, this time ~ a Facebook friend also asked how I came up with Gage's name (Hero of A Shore Thing). So for the record, here's a glimpse into the strange mind of this writer:

...My hero's name must sound strong. I tend to favor one syllable (so far there's been Doug, Jake, Josh, Gage, and coming up, Seth). And Gage looks like (wink, wink) the actor, Simon Baker ~ so of course, ...the name had to fit. Also, I look at what the name means. Gage means measurer (which works for an architect, don't you think?) and Mitchell indicates faith ~ it is a name that stands for the question Who is like God? Finally, it has to sound good to the ear. Yes, I practiced saying it a few times in the privacy of my tiny office closet :)

So there you have it Real Gage Mitchell (with the real strong name :) and Readers ~ the rather involved steps I take in choosing character names. (Would be so much easier to open up the phone book and choose at random, now that I'm thinking about it ...;)

Have a beachy day, my friends ... wherever you are!

Merry Christmas!

I'll be signing books with my pal, Kathryn Cushman, at TWO Borders stores next Saturday, September 11, 2010. If you're in SoCal, stop on by for some early Christmas shopping! (Seriously, we'd be happy to inscribe Feliz Navidad, Happy Christmas, or whatever you'd like :)

(This photo's from 2007, when Katie, Jim Bell and I held our Promises, Chocolate and ... Murder event.)

I'll be signing A SHORE THING, an Otter Bay Novel. In this story, a fiery young woman's fight against a beachfront development gets personal when she begins to fall for the architect assigned to the job.

Katie will be signing ANGEL SONG, her fourth book and one she co-wrote with Sheila Walsh. In this story, angels eagerly watch over Annie Fletcher's every move. She just doesn't know it yet.

If you're in the 'hood, we'd love to see you:

11 am to 1 pm
BORDERS ~ Oxnard
241 West Esplanade Drive
Oxnard, CA
(805) 988-6886.

3 pm to 5 pm
BORDERS ~ Goleta
7000 Marketplace Drive
Goleta, CA
(805) 968-1370

Tweet of the Week

My DVR is set to record all episodes of House Hunters International because my nightcap of choice is to 'travel' to some beautiful seaside place before heading off to dreamland :). So the other night I was watching the episode when a gal travels to Malta to buy a vacation place. Although I didn't agree on the place she chose--LOL, when do I ever?--I enjoyed touring the area with her.

This particular night I tweeted : "House Hunters International, I heart you." The next day HGTV contacted me to ask if they could include my note in their 'Tweet of the Week.' Um, let me think...YES!

They then sent me some legal stuff, and I signed it, so my words may (finally!) make it to the (little) screen. LOL ... Let me know if and when you see it, alrighty? Have a beachy week, my friends!

calls that go bump in the night ...

So a character from a book called my home last night. Seriously. The phone rang at 8:20 pm, and Call Waiting read: Asher Price. No one was on the other end (even creepier), but I just stared at the name, trying to remember where I'd seen it before.

"What's wrong?" my daughter asked.

Omg! I ran down the hall. She followed. I grabbed the book from my shelf, turned it over, and pointed at the text on the back cover. "Asher Price just called!"

We both screamed, laughing.

"It's like that movie, Mom. Stranger than Fiction. A character is talking to you!"

"Yeah," I said. "but it's not one of my characters!"

Methinks it's time to take a break from all this writing. I'm going to the beach. And not answering the phone ...

Charlie and me

That's Charlie the Dog in the photo. I was on deadline awhile back, ignoring him, so he decided to slip into something more comfortable ... and wait until I noticed.

Instead of a writing deadline, I'm on an editing one at the moment. But it all looks the same to Charlie, i.e., I AM IGNORING HIM. He gallops into the office and slaps his paws on the floor next to me, looking for a playmate. I want to say, Hey, I just sent one off to college! I want to be free! He doesn't care.

I get asked all the time what kind of doggy he is. We adopted Charlie from a shelter, so the best guess we have is some kind of beagle mix. I modeled Moondoggy from A Shore Thing after him. The pooch on the cover has a longer snout, but don't they kind of look alike? One thing is certain, they both have minds of their own and will do whatever it takes to get some attention. Lol...

Fade to ... School

School's officially back in session for most kids around my 'hood. Yours? This includes all three of mine which means that the edits I received on Friday for my next book, FADE TO BLUE, will probably actually get done. Woo-hoo! I'm so excited about this book! If you read A SHORE THING you'll love this new story because it picks up where Suz--Gage's sister--left off. Learn what happens in the life of the single mother with a tumultuous past.

Also my publisher has moved up the release date ~ FADE TO BLUE will be out before most kids finish this year of school! Again with the woot :) We've looked at several covers and I think you'll love the one we chose. SO. PRETTY. I'd buy it just to keep on the coffee table. LOL

Okay, enough of this frivolity! Back to work for me (and back to school for the kiddos :) Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Whaddaweek!

I'm officially Mom to a middle schooler, a high schooler and a COLLEGE student!!! Funny since I'm JUST SO YOUNG! Ha :)

So the big move was this weekend. Bittersweet times. After two days of mini-seminars and orientations and mixers and meals, thousands of new students and families gathered on the great lawn on Saturday night for a big send off. Tissue boxes were scattered about as we worshiped God under a shiny round moon. Then there was communion and private family prayer time. Thought for sure I was going to lose it!!! After all, parents and students were sobbing ALL AROUND US.

But then my son said something that made me giggle, and all hope for the 'mama-style' breakdown was gone. We ended up leaving our kiddo at the entrance to the dorm, fully confident that with God watching over him, he was ready for this new chapter. Truthfully, I'd had a quiet cry earlier that morning ... so enough already!

After church on Sunday, we took our daughters to lunch and when the hostess asked, "How many?" our older daughter automatically answered, "Five." Whoops! With Matt away at college, that number has been shaved to four.

Oh boy. THIS is going to take some getting used to!

To all my college-mama friends out there, past, present, and future ~ have a beachy day, wherever you are :-)

Gone fishing ...

Not really. I don't fish ~ I just eat them :)

Looks like a lovely weekend ahead. Stay away from mindless TV and get outside, if you can. We're moving our son into his dorm, but it's so amazing on our stretch of California that we might just fling open the sunroof and take the coast route home afterward (the wind will dry the tears, for sure!).

Have a beachy weekend, my friends ~ wherever you are :)

College bound ...

It's an emotional week! Our oldest is moving off to college this weekend and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that. The girls are excited--they've already been planning ways to makeover his room. How they're going to afford a leather couch and flat screen is beyond me, but hey, we all have our dreams.

But all I know is the kid who's been here for almost 19 years will be living more than two hours away. We'll go weeks without seeing him (although I'm suddenly interested in skype), and he'll have to fend for himself more than ever. (Since I'm not the best cook in the world, and he's a hungry boy, he might say that he's already been fending for himself, LOL) Still, it's a huge shift in our little family.

Author friend Sherry tells me that she went to Biola too--and met her husband the very first month of freshman year!!! Cannot. Imagine. (Incidentally, she says students were affectionately known as Biola Betty and Biola Bob, and I'm wondering if this is still true ...?)

Ah, well, he's ready for the change I think. He's worked hard to get into college--and already has a job in place on campus. I'm proud of him! Nervous about the changes ahead ... but proud! So that chick you see buying up all the Biola Mom merchandise in the bookstore, well, that would be ME!

Day of rest

One child started school this week, another starts her junior year of high school next, and our son is currently packing to move to college in about 6 days. Yet I'm the one in a tizzy. Can you relate? Busy, busy, busy. And no matter how 'green' our country professes to be, there seems to be more paperwork than ever!

No wonder Amish books remain so popular ...

Anyhoo, tomorrow's Sunday, so I'm hoping to rest and I'm giving you permission to do the same. (Unless you're a minister. If so--sorry, but you must work to 'feed' all of us sheep :)

My daughter took this secret picture of me walking along the beach in Carpinteria (I'm about to walk right in front of Kevin Costner's house). I loved the two days we spent up there. Sooo serene. This picture reminds me of a beach scene above my bed. When our youngest was about 3, she pointed at it and said, "I want to go there."

I so get that.

Let's go surfin' now ...

If you've read this blog before, you know my mini obsession with beach rides. See this post for some I've spotted here on the coast.

So anyway, while we were in Pennsylvania last month, we rented a Ford Flex. So. Much. Fun. I do not have stock in Ford ~ I promise! But that thing was comfy (leather seats like 'buttah!') and tricked out with a GPS, DVD, and synced up phones. Reminded me of a souped up woody. Can't you just see this thing cruising the coast with a surfboard on top?

It is big though. A little too big for me. Think: lowered Suburban. Still when we arrived at LAX and slid into my foreign made mini-suv with its stiff-leather and cramped spaces, we all kind of groaned. Lol ...

Bookstore visits & sunny daze

So apparently the Farmer's Almanac warned us about an especially cool summer ~ our friend Alex told us this last eve. But today...oh, TODAY...the sun is (finally) out on the California coast. It's not been AWOL all summer, but pretty much. I was starting to sense a lack of vitamin D in my system, Lol

To celebrate, I'm going to enjoy these last few days of freedom from early morning rides to school and making bag lunches. Yes, school starts soon. Too soon, if you ask me (nobody did). I suppose if my kids were younger and driving me crazy, I'd be glad. But they're not and (for the most part) they aren't, so I'd rather we extend the lovely carefree days for, say, another month.

Not that my days are all that carefree with book promos, but still! Speaking of promoting a book, A SHORE THING, is popping up in stores all over the place. Happiness! In between dodging the clouds, I visited several of these stores. THANKS to all the bookstore staffers who welcomed me!

If you're in the SoCal area, here are the stores I visited with beachy bookmarks (I also signed copies of Shore when asked):

GOLETA Borders
SANTA BARBARA Barnes & Noble (signed copies)
VENTURA Barnes & Noble
THOUSAND OAKS Barnes & Noble (signed copies)
CALABASAS Barnes & Noble
WOODLAND HILLS Barnes & Noble (signed copies)

Happy Beach Reading, my friends ~ wherever you are ;-)

Make it a good one!

Beach daze

Came back from visiting family last week and the work was piled THIS high. Sheesh! But it's all good. Today I visited a couple of Barnes & Noble stores that carry A Shore Thing (Calabasas & Thousand Oaks). Tomorrow I'll stop by a couple of stores in Santa Barbara, and then a few more down south on Friday. If you're near any of these, stop by and pick up a bookmark at the customer service desk. My publisher B&H designed them and they're very 'beachy' :)

Speaking of the beach, I refuse to let the proliferation of back-to-school clothes drown out the need for summer to last. We have through late September people! Can I hear an Amen?

One of my daughters starts school next week already. I know, crazy. The Ventura County Fair will be still going on then. Might even take her to see that cutey patooty Dierks Bentley. Which will she remember more? 7th grade homework or staying out late to see a Country Music star on a school night?

My point exactly.

Here's to good memories ~ and another six weeks of summer :-)

Pennsylvania Shore

It's our last full day in Pennsylvania visiting family. Word is were heading out for some elk viewing soon. Oh, man, we're a long way from the coast of Cali! Haha. So anyhoo, I'm glad we've been here in the summertime. Able to experience kayaking and biking...pretty much what I do at home (in spare time, of course), except this time I'm surrounded by woods and mountains and bodies of fresh water (as opposed to the salty stuff...) Hubby and kids even hiked into the woods and picked two containers full of blueberries and blackberries. SUCH a pretty time of year in the east!

On another note, I wanted to let you know that Michelle Vasquez over at Life in Review is giving away a copy of A Shore Thing. I've been sooo honored by the interest in my latest Otter Bay Novel. I love Callie and Gage and romance and conflict and sea life...and I've been getting lots of reader mail too. You BLESS me when you write, so THANK YOU so much!

Please let your friends know about Michelle's giveaway, or if you haven't had a chance to pick up your copy, please enter! Or you can pick up a copy in bookstores or online (Amazon has it on sale for less than 10 bucks!).

Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are (and in my case, that would be NW Pennsylvania....:)

It's our fifth day in rural Pennsylvania and time to go to the city. Okay, so it's more like a town. Those of you from this area know that much of PA is made up of quaint country towns strung together like one long cord of Christmas lights. Thankfully we're here in summer, because usually we're here in gray winter when most of the lights have burned out, haha. I digress.

My dear father in law became ill during our stay and is recuperating in the hospital. We're sad because we don't get to see him, but glad to hang out with grandma while he's gone (although we're probably driving her crazy, LOL). So today we gave her a break and drove ... quite a ways ... to watch a movie. My brother Mikey is an artist animator (I SO want to build a character around his experiences!) and he worked on the latest Nicolas Cage release, Sorcerer's Apprentice. So hubby and I went to see that while the kids caught a showing of Despicable Me.

Hubby and I were the only ones in the theater (small town? remember?), so besides necking (haha--hey, we're married), I texted my brother. Wanted to make sure I knew which scenes he animated. Fortunately he got back to me before one of his big scenes--the car chase--came up. Just something about watching a film that has a family member's fingerprints on it, you know? Great scene, by the way. He usually blows up stuff in his scenes, so morphing a fancy Bentley (I think) into a Ferrari was pretty cool, I must say.

We're back at the homestead now, and getting ready to grill burgers on the patio. I cooked last night (enchiladas, naturally), so I'm off duty tonight (yes!). Here's to good health, family, and beachy days, my friends ~ wherever you are...

Winners!

Hello from Pennsylvania! We made it across country and have been visiting with family since Friday. Good times. Lots of humidity through yesterday, plus sudden, thunderous rain and occasional lightning. Sooo different than the California coast where I live! Fortunately no lightning during the family reunion at Parker Dam last Saturday, so I was able to rent a kayak and splash around in the water. Loved it!

Back to last week's contest... My sweet niece Samantha picked a couple of numbers, and we have our winners. CONGRATS to:

Librarian ~ Lonnie from the Midlothian Branch of the Chesterfield County Public Library in VA.
Reader ~ Jackie L

Both will receive copies of A Shore Thing! Thanks SO much to everyone who entered by comment or email. Received many, many fun postings and beach recommendations. Who knows? Maybe I'll set a book in one of them some day? :)

Vacation!

So Wednesday night, the girls and I drove up to Paso Robles to see JUSTIN BIEBER (Hear the crowd roaring??) at the mid-state fair. SUCH. FUN. (I won't mention the absolutely detestable motel we stayed in, though...) On our walk over the fair to see JB, we saw this truck and the girls had to pose. What can I say? When opportunity presents itself....

So anyway, while preteen girl and friend enjoyed their THIRD ROW seats next to the stage, TEEN GIRL and I giggled and danced like crazy people in the LAST ROW! We didn't care, though, cuz JB gave a great show, as did Sean Kingston at opening. Something about a crowded Fair Grandstand until a moonlit sky makes a ??year old mother not care who sees her dance.

It's Thursday Eve and we're on our way to (drumroll, please) ... PENNSYLVANIA! Where there is NO beach! What will I do??! Ah, well, we're going to visit family, which makes a landlocked vacation worth it. And this is the first time in many years that we've actually traveled back east in the summer. So who knows? Maybe we'll find a river to float down or something...;-)

If you entered the giveaway for a copy of A Shore Thing, I'll be popping in on Monday to post winner names (if I can find Internet access in the mountain town where we'll be staying ... :-)

Until then, have a beachy weekend, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Good ol' summertime

Despite all the back-to-school specials (blech) running around town, my calendar still says summer! Up ahead we still have a trip to the mid-state fair, Pennsylvania to visit family, the Ventura Fair plus plenty of other balmy dog days to devour. Don't you?? As long as they're still giving us re-runs of Glee, I say it's still summah-time (LOL).

So pick up a few good books (hint-hint), and hit the beach or lake or park for some R&R&R (rest, relaxation, and reading :) I plan to do the same! (Thanks to all who dropped me some recommendations on my FB page!)

With that in mind, have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are! (and p.s. ~ would somebody hand me a comb already? Lol...)

Have you hugged a librarian today?

Librarians, we writers appreciate you! If you're a librarian, drop me a comment, noting the name/location of your library, and you might win a copy A Shore Thing! Be sure to leave me an email address or way to contact you! (Readers, be sure to tell your favorite Librarian about this, okay?)

And new readers, just for fun, I'll be giving away a second copy just for you! Enter by leaving a comment about your favorite beach.

Ends Saturday, July 24. Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Happy writer-ly news

Sweet Waters has been named a finalist for the 2010 Carol Award in the Women's Fiction category!

I'm excited, honored, and so, so ... well, surprised. When I received the call from contest coordinator, Mindy Obenhaus, I think I squealed a very mature, "No way!"

Formerly known as the ACFW Book of the Year, the award was recently renamed in order to honor editorial pioneer of Christian Fiction, Carol Johnson.

In a press release, ACFW CEO Colleen Coble noted, "Although Carol Johnson is most content behind the scenes, her contribution to modern Christian fiction (both historical and contemporary) is impossible to measure. Where would we be today if she had turned down those earlier projects and the firestorm of fiction they helped unleash?"

Follow this link for a comprehensive list of finalists in each category. So many friends on that list too ~ congrats to all!

Ya gotta have friends!

Here's a photo of my pal Sally who, although she had to skedaddle out of town, showed up at Saturday's Barnes & Noble signing early just to get her hot-off-the-press copy of A Shore Thing :)) Such a whirlwind, with friends and family coming and going. Since this was a hometown signing, lots of familiar faces to greet.

Met many new readers as well.

One lady walked to my table at precisely 11 am, plunked a stack of books on my table and declared, "I read $50 worth of books a month!" Oh, that is music to an author's ears!!! After chatting a bit, turns out we both live in the same general area of the city, have sons about the same age, and love the beach. She bought my latest book AND last year's release, Sweet Waters. Such a great way to start off the day ~ whee!

Then one of the characters from Sweet Waters (yes, you heard that right!) hand-sold A Shore Thing to a man who was minding his own business, just trying to walk on by. Cheryl Draughon is a longtime friend (taught all my kids at one time or another) who lobbied for a role in my last book. If you read it, there was a realtor in that story who shares Cheryl's name ~ and bears a striking resemblance to my friend...;-)

Anyhoo, Cheryl (practically) snagged the poor guy by the collar, then proceeded to tell him all about my books. He kept nodding and staring at the back cover (probably working on his escape), when all of a sudden he looked up and said, "Are you a Christian?"

"Yes, indeedy," I told him (sans the 'indeedy' part...)

"Me too!" He said ~ and then promptly asked me to sign a book for his mom. Loved that!

I ask you, what would I do without my friends??! More stories from the writing world coming soon ... In the meantime, have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are :)

Sea-ing stars ...

Happy Summer Monday! Signed copies of A Shore Thing and gabbed with readers new and old on Saturday at Barnes & Noble. Fun! About an hour before the signing I found this super pretty glass seastar necklace in my jewelry box. I forgot I owned it...isn't that weird? I actually picked it up a few years ago in a little shop in Cambria ~ the same town that serves as my inspiration for "Otter Bay". Loved wearing it, especially since it matches the seastar logo on each of my Otter Bay Novels.

Guess it was meant to be :) Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are...

On hotel terror and signing books ...

Sorry for the long wait between posts ~ you were waiting, weren't you??? Ha ~ right! Anyway, like I wrote before, the trip to SF was amazing. I didn't mention, though, that teen daughter and I checked into a remodeled but tiny boutique hotel in downtown that, uh, scared the daylights out of us. Think: The Shining. We sent pictures to my husband and son with the title Tower of Terror (a creepy ride at Disney's California Adventure). We slept with my suitcase pressed against the narrow bedroom door and took the stairs because teen daughter thought a death-warmed-over bellhop might be waiting for us on the elevator. Ah, good times. Lol

The next day we moved to the Hilton :)

We were in SF so my daughter could attend an event called "3 Days of Fashion" at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She had a ball ... made new friends and met designer Nick Verreos (of Project Runway). Poor girl has a mother who prefers jeans and flip flops. She'll teach me yet! (or grow old trying ... :)

Booksigning Saturday!

Ah well, I'm back on the central coast where the weather is ... downright dreary! Give me sun, people! Even SF was warmer and brighter ~ can you believe it? Although this weather might just bring folks to my booksigning on Saturday, so bring on the clouds ;-)

If you're in the Ventura area on Saturday morning, stop by Barnes & Noble in the Gateway Plaza, Telephone Road, and say hello! I'll be signing copies of A Shore Thing and taking names ... for a drawing. What did you think?? B&H Publishing will be giving away a "Beach Book Chair" and I'll have plenty of chocolates around (of course!). Would love to see you.

Until then, have a beachy day ~ wherever you are!

New things ... and a shore thing

I'm in San Francisco with my daughter who's taking classes in the area. While she's learning new things, I am too. This is the 1st ever post to my blog from my phone, so that's lesson learned numero uno. #2... I can read a map. Seriously, I have problems with directions, so I'm proud to announce that i've taken trolleys on multi occasions already and have managed to see some great sites, like the embarcadero, fisherman's wharf and more coffee places than you can count. Lol Anyone else 'directionally challenged'?

Visited Barnes & Noble and although they did not have my new book in stock (sadly!), they said they would order it in. If you live in the area, feel free to pop in and pick up one of the bookmarks I left at customer service.

#3 i love cheese. Ok, i already knew this but oh! I found this cool bakery-Acme, in the Ferry Bldg-and they make these awesome triple creme cheese sandwiches on rustic baguette. I've had one TWO days in a row! Sooo yum.

#4 Must remember to bring bandages in purse. All this walking is blister city!

And #5 This beach girl can navigate the city just fine (although it helps that the bay is just a trolley ride away ;).

Before I sign off, A Shore Thing "officially" released today!!! If you happen to spot it, I'd love to know where. Drop me a note, and I'll send you a bookmark. I'll send some to the store too!

Monday mishmash

Happy Monday, fellow beach lovers! May still be a bit June gloomy here on the central coast, but it's summah-time, so who cares? At least it's warm, you know? Soon teen daughter and I are going on a ROAD TRIP up the coast ~ woohoo!

Couple of fun things happening with A Shore Thing that I wanted you to know about. First, Cindy of Cindy's Book Reviews is giving away a copy on July 4. Easy to enter.

Also, Rel of Relz Reviews just posted a character spotlight on Gage, Callie, and Moondoggy. She asked me about the inspiration behind these characters and that was easy. In my head, they were based on ... go on over and you'll see who :)

I hope that where ever you are, you're enjoying your summer. Work or not, take time out to experience the long days and comfortable nights. Walk the beach. Smell the blooms. Hike the hills. Thank God for making them all...

We have a flip flop winner!

This sign from my beach shop makes me smile every time I see it...flip flops, sunglasses, sunscreen and a pretty shell...ahh! Okay, as for the contest~drumroll please!...Congrats go to Shirley! Your name was pulled out of the 'hat' :)

Thanks for all the photos sent my way ~ had some GOOD LAUGHS! Shirley, I'll get your $25 Payless Shoes card out to you, stat!

Flip flop entries coming in ...

Summer's in full swing in the Carobini household! Yours? Had my first radio interview yesterday for A Shore Thing, then took a peek at the sea. Today I ran Charlie the Dog to the beach, and now I'm getting ready to take pre-teen girl and friend to the pool.

Wanted you to know that entries are coming in for the Flip Flop contest (scroll for details). You have until Friday to get those photos to me for a chance to win a Payless Shoes gift card. Above are a couple of entries. I love the first one, taken at the Dead Sea in Israel. So cool! The 2nd one makes me laugh. The reader says her Tevas were "de-soled" during a 6th grade class trip to Catalina Island (as long as no de-souling was going on ... ;)

Have a beachy day, my friends ~ and get those photos to me, stat!

Happy Nat'l Flip Flop Day!

My stretch of the west coast is a bit hazy today, but that won't stop me from wearing flip flops all the live long day :) The contest for a $25 gift card to Payless Shoes opens today! (I wrote about this on June 14. I've updated the rules somewhat because it's a writer's prerogative to change her mind, you know ...).

Anyhoo, send a photo of your flip flops to julie at juliecarobini dot com. Show me your worn out sandals, your flip flops with missing bling, your huaraches with stretched out straps ... that kind of thing. Or if you want, feel free to show me your fave pair, even if they haven't yet bit the dust. I'll pick the top three saddest/cutest/funniest sandal-flipflop-huarache-etc. photos and toss them into a hat. Then, I'll draw one name at random to win a $25 gift certificate to Payless Shoes!

This giveaway is limited to USA peeps, void where prohibited (you know who you are). Hugs to all my friends outside of the USA ~ hope to do something for you soon. Contest begins June 18 and ends June 25.

I'll be posting some of the photos, so watch this space for the fun. Have a beachy weekend, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Class of 2010

My eldest kiddo is graduating from high school today and I have to say, I'm so emotional. I joke about it but it's so true. As I type this, I'm fighting tears (and not winning).

Is this crazy?

He's a good kid, and he's grown into a bright, funny, loving, young man. I'm excited to see what God has planned for him, and where He'll lead him.

Matt'll be moving away to college in Auguest--not too far away, thankfully--but even though it's exciting, it's also bittersweet. It means that the next phase in his life has begun, that the cord that binds us has gotten a little bit longer, and that soon he won't be needing our input quite so often. It means I'll be staring at the ceiling some nights, wondering what he's up to, knowing I should think twice before picking up the phone. Admittedly, it means the space I sometimes longed for as a sleep-deprived young mom--and the letting go I don't feel quite ready to do.

So here's to the class of 2010. May they live long and prosper ~ and call their mothers often!

Beach ready

Here's a pic of authors Jamie Carie, Patti Hill, and moi after our publisher, B&H, bestowed personalized beach bags on us last year. I LOVE my bag! It's got the title of my last book, Sweet Waters, on it, so I used it all year to hold goodies for book signings. Now that summer's almost here for me (couple days of school and one high school graduation to go!), I'm planning on keeping that baby stocked with sunscreen, water, a towel, and the latest issue of Coastal Living, so I can head to beach at the first crack of sunlight.

How about you? Are you ready to head to the beach, lake, swimming hole, etc. this summer? And what will you have in your bag? (Would it be shameless promotion to suggest my newest book, A Shore Thing? ~ bu dum bump)

Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are :-)

Get ready for Nat'l Flip Flop Day Giveaway

THIS Friday, June 18 (the day after my oldest kiddo graduates high school) is National Flip Flop Day. Hey, I'm not making this up! This is what I love about America ... the FREEDOM to celebrate all that's right with the world. Like flip flops. Lol...

So here's the deal: you have this week to take a photo that proves why YOU deserve a new pair of flip flops. Show me your worn out sandals, your flip flops with missing bling, your huaraches with stretched out straps ... that kind of thing. I'll pick the top three saddest sandal-flipflop-huarache-etc. photos and toss them into a hat. Then, I'll draw one name at random to win a $25 gift certificate to Payless Shoes!

This giveaway is limited to USA peeps, void where prohibited (you know who you are). Hugs to all my friends outside of the USA ~ hope to do something for you soon. Contest begins June 18 and ends June 25 ~ so hang onto your photos until then.

In the meantime, watch for A SHORE THING to arrive at your favorite bookstore any day now. I received a single, hot off the presses copy on Friday, and I'm told that "the books have left the building" (i.e., warehouse) :) Woo-hoo! If you see it on a shelf, would you let me know?

Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are!